Ogle County sheriff: Unidentified body found in Rock River

OREGON – A body was found Tuesday morning in the Rock River, midway between Oregon and Byron.

The body, which has yet to be identified, was found about 11 a.m. in the 4300 block of North Route 2 by an individual searching for fossils along the river, Ogle County Sheriff Brian VanVickle said in a news release.

The age and gender of the victim are unknown, but the body appears to have been in the water for at least six months, VanVickle said.

“[Ogle County doesn’t] have any missing people, but I know Winnebago and Rockford does,” VanVickle said. “We’re communicating with Winnebago County to get some dental records.”

Those records were scheduled to be reviewed by the Ogle County coroner Wednesday, he said. Officials feel there is a “fairly high likelihood” that the victim is from Winnebago County, VanVickle said.

“Hopefully, we can have closure for the family [Wednesday],” VanVickle said. “Otherwise, we’ll have to move on to DNA, which is going to take some time to complete.”